Spare a thought for Russell Domingo. The sight of South Africa tumbling towards a series defeat would have been galling enough for most coaches, but on Saturday (August 5) he need only have turned his gaze 90 degrees to the left for an extra cringe factor.

Domingo has been kept in the dark about his prospects since he belatedly reapplied for his job and was interviewed by a CSA panel. It is understood that Gibson expressed interest in the South Africa role as much as six months ago and the deal is basically wrapped up. Domingo is a good man who will no doubt wish him well, and who may yet serve under him as coach of South Africa A or at the academy.

He will watch with interest to see what Gibson can make of a team that will depart England on Wednesday with more questions than it had upon arrival. When Gary Kirsten signed off in 2013, leaving Domingo to deal with the impending departures of Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers, it was what rugby players describe as a 'hospital pass'. Although the Proteas enjoyed a revival in the year leading up to this series, medical assistance will be required in the future.

South Africa have had some misfortune over the four Tests, what with key personnel being absent due to injuries, illness and family matters. They have also lost three of the four tosses and had to bat during all the toughest periods, weather-wise, during the crucial third Test.

But the majority of problems have been of their own making. The dropped catches that plagued their performance on the opening day at Lord's were still featuring on the second day of the fourth Test. England's tail were still being allowed to add too many runs, and turn the course of the match, as Jonny Bairstow helped himself to what looked like free runs.

With eight men stationed on the boundary to prevent Bairstow from hitting fours and taking twos, he still managed seven fours and five twos. Some of that was good batting, but it was facilitated by South Africa taking a backward step.

When it came time to bat, five of the top six passed 20, but none got to fifty. Getting in and getting out has been a feature of the series for South Africa's batsmen, who have only reached 80 three times and only gone to three figures once. Conditions at all four venues have kept bowlers in the game throughout but those numbers suggest that South Africa have a group of batsmen that are not up to the rigours of Test cricket. Performances in New Zealand, when they also managed a solitary century in three Tests, confirm that the England series is not an outlier.

In an effort to plug the gaps, the batting order has been shuffled regularly. On Saturday, Temba Bavuma became South Africa's third No. 4 of the series, following in the footsteps of JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock. It was confirmation that South Africa are not just unsure of their best team, but also the best order in which to put them. "It does say that you're still looking for the right combination," admitted Hashim Amla. "We've always felt that Temba is one of the guys for the future, and with more time and responsibility he will thrive in it."

Bavuma certainly looks to have a bright future. Theunis de Bruyn might too - his domestic record is impressive and he has not looked overawed in England even if the scores have not come. Dean Elgar will be around for a while yet. So will Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier. But what about Amla, Faf du Plessis, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel? Just as Gibson tries to fill the holes left by the legends that Domingo waved goodbye to, he might find the sand shifting beneath his feet.

"It's exciting to work with this group of players because we are by no means the finished article," Domingo said after the Oval defeat. "If you were rocking up with Smith, Kallis, Steyn, Morkel, Philander, de Villiers, it probably gets easier. But here your work is cut out. You've got to juggle and sit around and try and find the right balance. That's always exciting and challenging and that's why you coach I suppose, to get through those type of periods."

It was a challenge that Domingo said he wanted to continue, but its difficulty was made clear again on Saturday. As he watched on from the team balcony, Domingo might have spared a thought for his successor.